Flat panel displays have become an increasingly popular substitute for projection devices and CRT's. The flat panel display is typically mounted on a structure, such as a wall. Flat panel displays, especially LCD displays, are typically most clearly viewable from a position directly in front of the display. The display image is often too dark or not visible at all if viewed from a significant angle.
It is thus preferable that the angle of a flat panel display can be adjusted for optimum viewing. Various prior art positioning devices have been used, such as friction based hinges, mechanical linkages with springs or other biasing devices, and various mechanical latches. The friction based devices need to be sufficiently strong to hold a relatively heavy flat panel displays, while being easy to operate. Traditional friction based devices and mechanical latches often require one person to hold the flat panel display at the correct angle, while a second person adjusts the device. Movement in the upward direction requires the operator to lift a substantial portion of the weight of the flat panel display. In some instances, the operator must also overcome the resistance of the positioning device.
In order to properly support a flat panel display, a mounting device must also be firmly attached to the wall to which it is mounted. This requires fasteners that make holes in the wall. Thus, to create even a minor horizontal shift of the wall mount and display relative to the wall, an entire new set of holes must be made in the wall.
The width of the portion of flat panel display mounting devices to which the flat panel display is mounted is often adjustable. This is necessary due to the varying sizes of flat panel displays and, accordingly, the varying locations of mounting apertures for mounting the displays. However, when mounting brackets of a mounting device that is capable of mounting a wider display are brought closer together for mounting a narrower display, the brace arms upon which the mounting brackets slide can stick out beyond the width of the display, lowering the aesthetic appeal of a costly device bought chiefly for its aesthetics.
A number of wires generally need to be run from the flat panel display to one or more devices, such as a cable or satellite television receiver or a DVD player, as well as to an electrical outlet for powering the display. These wires tend to hang out in the open, which also tends to distract from the aesthetics of the flat panel display. The wires also have a tendency to become tangled, which makes it more difficult to remove or adjust the flat panel display and/or other devices.